When I was sixteen
by Ellstra
Summary: The Avengers are spending afternoon in Stark tower and Tony suggests a game of "What did I do when I was sixteen."


_**I have no idea how this came to my mind. I hope you enjoy thos story. Thanks for reading and review please.**_

* * *

„I think you should stop drinking, Stark. You´re definitely drunk." Thor shouted and probably to confirm his words, he took few huge sips from his glass. Of course, Tony couldn´t let anybody offend him, especially not Thor.

„I´m drunk?! Look at Clint – he´s absolutely off. Somewhere else. You see, I think he´s finally gonna confess he… Nevermind. But he´s gonna do it. On the other hand I am perfectly alright." Tony pointed at Hawkeye, who was sitting on the sofa just few centimetres far from Natasha and looked very nervous. He was rubbing palm of one hand against the other and he seemed he might faint in the very next moment.

„I don´t think you are. But I agree with you. At least we´ll all know how it is with them, really. It was getting very annoying to watch them." Thor didn´t even bother asking Tony for another drink; he just stood up and took another bottle of gin.

„Guys, what did I miss?" Steve came to the room and sat down beside Bruce, who was reading some book Steve didn´t understand a single word of.

„Nothing special. I´m sure you had more fun in the bathroom." Tony chuckled, laughing because of his own joke. And because of the alkohol, too.

„What? I was just… you know. Doing the things people do in the bathroom. It´s not…fun." Steve was naive and when he got drunk, it was even worse.

„Yes, I´m sure you were doing things people do in the bathroom. Like Stark," Thor smirked and soon got punched in the shoulder.

„I don´t think I completely understand what you´re talking a-" Steve was quite confused.

„Steve, leave them be. They just have too much testosterone." Bruce left the book for a little while. Steve jumped up a little; he hadn´t realised Bruce in here until now.

„ Guys, guys, guys! I know a great game. I used to play it with my classmates." Tony exclaimed because he really didn´t want to argue with Thor. At least not in that moment. „It´s called ´What I would do when I was sixteen if I didn´t do what I did.´ It´s not the best name, I know, but it´s a great fun. Let´s just play it."

„I think we understand the rules. But what about taking some parts away and leave what I was doing when I was sixteen. It might be fun as well. And we won´t fall asleep while trying to say the whole name." Thor replied, with need to be sarcastic.

„I´m anxious to know what you were doing when you were sixteen. I really am." Bruce put the book aside and concentrated on what was happening around. Everybody then looked at Clint and Natasha who seemed to be a bit faraway. Tony and Thor gave each other knowing look, grinned and simultaneously walked to those two.

„Hey, you lovebirds, you´re very sweet together but you should keep it for home. Now, because it´s Stark´s house – well, my would be better, but it would be quite difficult to get you there – you should pay attention to us." Thor folded arms on his chest. Tony gave him another punch but they both cared much more about Hawkeye and Black widow who both looked very unprofessional. Normal friends would be ashamed they spoilt a romantic moment they were all waiting for, but Tony and Thor weren´t normal. They enjoyed the look of guilt and shame in the faces of those two.

„Don´t pay attention to what he said about my house. It doesn´t matter, he might live under some bridge – if they even have some in the place where he lives. But in the other things he´s right. Of course it would be great if you two finally became a couple but you can wait for another few moments." Stark gave the couple another smirk.

„I think you should leave them. They can´t breathe." Bruce laughed and because of his statement, both Natasha and Clint exhaled deeply which made Tony and Thor chuckle so heavily they had to sit down or they would suffocate.

„Okay, so we shall say each other what we were doing when we were sixteen. You should choose one event." Bruce was the only one in the room who could act normally since Thor and Tony were laughing hard, Clint and Natasha were still trying to come back to senses and Steve was wondering what did Thor meant by „things people do in the bathroom".

„Would you mind if you began, Steve?" Captain America woke up from his trance and realised somebody was talking to him.

„Why not. I wasn´t extraordinary at sixteen, you´ll probably be disappointed." Steve gave Bruce a shy smile since nobody else seemed to pay enough attention to him.

„Come on. We know the time before war was pretty boring so we´ll forgive you. Nobody can choose when he´s born." Tony was obviously intent enough to listen to Steve. Thor burst out in another wave of mad laughter.

„No, nobody can." Steve said coldly and rather went on because he saw Tony opening mouth to say something again. „Well. When I turned sixteen, my mom was very ill. She was suffering from pneumonia she lately died of. She refused to go to hospital because she would only ´take space instead of really ill people´ as she said. So I was taking care of her which made me quite busy. She was ill for a very long time considering she wasn´t at hospital. So when I was sixteen I was – most of the time – taking care of my mom who was too stubborn to let somebody more skilled do it. She might live if she did. And I was going to school. And gangs of thugs from all Brooklyn were beating me. That´s all."

Even Thor almost stopped chuckling. Clint missed the point why Steve said such things but he was very moved. He wouldn´t be if he was sober, but now he got very emotional. At the same time, Natasha wrapped her arms around him and he let his head fall on her shoulder.

„That´s so sad," Clint whispered. Natasha pulled him closer in effort to calm him down. Thor and Tony exchanged meaningful looks and began to laugh again.

„Yes, that is. I hope your story is better, Clint." Bruce said.

„Surely more amusing." Clint said and moved to be able to speak, not letting Natasha go. „Well then. When I was sixteen, I had the first date. It was the worst and most awkward date that ever existed. But it turned out to be a very good day after all." Natasha froze when she realised she knew what Clint was going to talk about. She never dared to ask whether he knew it was her. That they had actually met much sooner than that day he was supposed to kill her.

„I asked one girl from my class to go out. I didn´t really like her, but I didn´t want to be the last one to have a date. It was the worst decision in my life, honestly. She was boring and didn´t have any money so I had to pay for her. I was trying to think of any reason why I would be allowed to leave. We were just in some park because she wanted to walk. I was desperate. And then, right in the park in the middle of the city – where I was – I saw people fighting. I mean really fighting, not like when those idiots from our school did."

„And right then a beautiful girl appeared. She wasn´t only beautiful, but that was something what I noticed first along with how young she was. About the same age as I was. And then – I don´t know how – she ended the fight. She just stood there, beautiful. I thought I would have been able to just stare at her for ages. She looked at me, smiled, came closer and suddenly ran towards me and tumbled me to the ground. Of course, I didn´t have as much confidence to think she wasn´t able to resist me. It took me some time to find out one of those strangers somehow shot at me." Natasha didn´t look at him while Bruce had a suspicion he knew what this meant. There weren´t many girls with such a profession when they were sixteen. And Natasha told him herself she became an agent very soon.

„She saved my life. Then she stood up, helped me up as well and smiled at me. She said we were gonna meet one day and left. I will never forget her eyes. And I see them quite often. I see them in front of me all the time." Thor punched Tony again and they both giggled. Stark murmured something and Thor stopped for a little while, as if he was considering something. Then he nodded at Tony and they both burst out laughing again. Natasha was looking everywhere but Clint´s face. For some reason she didn´t want him to know it was her. She wanted him to love the real her – not the girl he´s fancied since he was sixteen.

„May I – may I talk now? I would like to bring some normality in here. Steve´s story was slightly depressing and Clint´s was like from some soap opera Pepper used to watch when she was feeling lonely." Tony raised an arm and waved it, accidentaly hitting Thor´s head, what was returned back.

„Why not? I´m very interested in finding out what do you think is normal to do when you´re sixteen." Bruce smiled a bit.

„Okay, when I was sixteen my mother was already dead – she´d died many years before – and I was of course going out with girls but I didn´t have so many problems with it. I didn´t care so much about girls. I was a normal teenage boy." Tony stood up, drank more of his whiskey and made sure everybody was paying attention to him.

„Since I had only father I wasn´t doing usual things. I wasn´t going to school – not much – and I used to spend hours with my father, creating weapons, tools, machines. When I was sixteen I found new source of energy. It couldn´t be used too much because it was quite rare and dangerous. Neverheless I created my very first nuclear weapon." Tony ended and sat down with an excessive gesture.

„I suppose this is pretty normal for a sixteen-year-old lad." Thor said what they all were thinking about.

„Well maybe it wasn´t ordinary but at least I don´t have lifelong consequences." Stark replied bitterly.

„If you don´t count self obssesion, arogance and complete lack of modesty." Came from Steve.

„I suppose he was born like this and nothing in his life would change it – maybe even stay in nunnery for some time." Natasha said. Tony gave her a smirk because he counted her as his ally.

„Well, luckily my father didn´t think so which I´m really grateful for." Tony hissed. „May I know what you were doing when you were sixteen?"

„Sure. But I don´t say I think this is normal."

Clint turned so he could see her face. He wouldn´t admit it, but he wanted to know about Natasha. Everything. Every bit he could find out about her was precious. She didn´t talk much about herself.

„I was working for some powerful man in KGB. He was trying to get rid of some rival of his. I was very young and even though I was one of the best, I didn´t have enough skill and experience. He got me and for a long time I was imprisoned. He was torturing me and when I thought I was gonna die, I was saved in the very last moment. You wouldn´t believe it, but my employer got bored with waiting and decided to kill his rival. That in fact meant my escape in the very last minute – I was really almost dead when they found me. Luckily my work for him ended with this because they killed him for his crimes later."

„That was a very amusing story, really. I´m laughing to death." Tony said and chuckled.

„Yeah, I wouldn´t say it better." Thor nodded, obviously astonished.

„I warned you," Natasha said coldly.

„I suppose I´m the only one who was attending high school regularly when I was sixteen. That´s very sad if I can say so. That only one out of six superheroes was really going to school. We´re not the best example, you know." Bruce said and they had to admit he was right.

„Why do you say so? We don´t know what Thor was doing when he was sixteen. You know, he might have been a great student." Steve laughed at the thought of something so unthinkable and ridiculous.

„Yeah. A nerd with thick glasses and huge books." Clint chuckled hard at Natasha´s words.

„Very funny. No I wasn´t a nerd, Loki was studying enough for us both. Actually, when I was sixteen I gave him the best birthday present. He was fifteen and he was looking forward to his birthday for a long time, I think he believed I might finally give him something he wanted. I couldn´t let this opportunity to run through my fingers." Thor finished drinking his whiskey and when he found out there was nothing left in the bottle by his hand, he took the glass from Tony´s hand and drank it before Stark could do anything. He tried to complain but the others didn´t let him since they were interested in finding out what was that great joke Thor made.

„Okay. So you all know Loki. He has always been a bit… strange and kinky. Even when he was fifteen he was sleeping with a plushy toy. You know, like little children do – even though he was already fifteen. He had that little yellow lizard and called it Sweetie. He was completely in love with it; he wasn´t able to fall asleep without it. I thought it would be a great fun if I took it from him." Thor made a dramatic pause and looked thoughtful.

„Actually it wasn´t. But everything in its time. So in the morning of his birthday, I waited for him to leave his bedroom and took Sweetie. I hid it in my room and went to have breakfast. There I saw Loki was reading some really thick book which looked pretty boring and uninteresting. But he was absolutely lost in it – I mean he was reading it while eating breakfast." Thor stopped talking for a while so they all could appreciate his great narrating skills and realise Loki´s weirdness.

„I can see how frustrating it must have been for you. It wasn´t very nice of Loki that he brought a book to a breakfast table since he knew how much you hated them and feared them." Clint said and looked very faraway so they all turned to him and watched him carefully. After all, he has already been hooked once and that last time it wasn´t very nice.

„What? I just made a joke. You should have laughed!" Hawkeye shook his head in despair.

„Yeah, very nice, really. It´s almost more funny than the story of your sweetheart. Now, if you let me, I would like to finish the story." Thor frowned and Tony chuckled a bit doing some uncomplimentary gestures behind Thor´s head.

„So I realised I should have taken the book from him. It would be a great fun – Loki hated when somebody even touched any of his books and this one seemed to be pretty precious. Just how to do it? I needed allies. My friends were always very fond of teasing Loki – well, maybe except of Sif, she never seemed to be as anxious as we were, but she had a crush on me so she always went with us. I was about to distract Loki and some of them – the one who was the nearest – was supposed to steal the book. Unfortunately, it wasn´t as simple as it seemed to be. Loki was carrying the book with himself and was so mesmerised by the attention I paid to him he didn´t stop talking. It was very hard but at last we got the book – and believe me, you don´t want to know how we managed that."

„I´m not really sure I want to know what _else_ you did to Loki. It makes me change my mind about him and I really don´ want to find myself pitying him." Steve was staring at his knees, his blonde hair fell to his eyes. Usually he hated when it did that but now he didn´t care.

„Oh c´mon! People, it was _fun_. Don´t you have it here on Earth? Fun?" Thor sighed.

„Fun? You mean spending time by teasing innocent naive boy and probably making him feel very desperate, eventually causing an intergalactic war? Well, no, we don´t really call this fun here." Steve looked at him with determination.

„You´re weird. I´ve always thought you were. Never mind, the plot thickens. So I had Sweetie and this one book. But still it wasn´t the best. I needed something genious, something he might not forget. I admit it wasn´t nice. But I almost died while laughing. I knew nobody had ever fancied Loki, he had always been just that younger brother of mine nobody really paid attention to. So I thought he might have been lonely and might have wanted somebody to like him, to listen to him. It wasn´t very nice, but I convinced Sif to pretend she liked him." Thor even bowed his head. It seemed to be a great fun when he was sixteen. Now it didn´t look like that, now he knew he would feel terrible if he found out Jane didn´t really like him. Now he realised how stupid, childish and awful he was and he felt ashamed of himself. Of course, with friends encouraging you you are the best and you can do everything it´s hard to realise you act bad.

„That´s quite awful. But at least now I know why Loki seemed to be so desperate to manage something. He wanted to become the king of Earth just because he wanted to achieve something. He wanted to prove he´s as good as you were. That´s very sad, you know." Tony said what they all were thinking about.

„Yeah. Of course he´s insane and maybe trying to destroy Manhattan wasn´t the best idea, but didn´t you just realise he might have felt lonely and hurt?" Steve couldn´t understand that. Being naturally good, he despised Thor very much in that moment. Especially when it reminded him of his own childhood so well.

„I was a stupid, arrogant sixteen-year-old idiot. Do you think I cared about how Loki felt?! I thought it was amusing to watch him." Thor shouted with anger. „You´ve never done anything stupid?! You´ve never been young?!"

„I was young! And I´ve done many faults and stupid things. But I would have never done anything so awful to my brother if I had had one. You don´t even know how lucky you are to have a brother!" Steve stood up and came straight to Thor, standing just few inches far away from him. Thor reached his hand for Mjőllnir while his eyes shone, eventually sparkled.

„How dare you say something like that? You´ve never had a brother who hated you, have you? Who tried to kill you, your friends and to destroy whole world? Who despised you because he was jealous? Because he was adopted and nobody told him and he had some low spirits? Because he thought it was my fault that he was different and everybody laughed at him?" Thor´s body was almost sparkling with electricity. Nobody dared to come closer when he looked like that because nobody has ever seen him so furious. Steve didn´t notice it or simply didn´t care, he just stood there and gazed at Thor.

„I´ve never had any brother! Good or bad. Don´t you see it? I always wanted a brother. Or a sister. And I´m sure I wouldn´t do such a terrible thing to him or her." Tony wanted to save Steve – no matter how stupid Tony thought he was – but he didn´t dare to move.

„Yes. And I would never wear that stupid costume. You can´t say you wouldn´t do that when you don´t have a brother like Loki." Thor sounded more calm. Unfortunately nobody felt safer.

„This leads to nowhere. I hope Loki did something pretty evil to you." Steve turned and rather came far away.

„Yeah. He didn´t fall for Sif, she wasn´t very convincing. Or he might have just paid more attention to me and her. He knew she fancied me so he only pretended he fell for it. It was very uncomfortable for Sif and I suppose she´s never forgiven me he forced her to go on some boat trip on a sea because he knew she was getting seasick. It wasn´t very kind, but he knew Sif would think of much better revenge than he." Thor sighed.

„That´s quite sad a seasick woman with broken heart could think of better revenge than Loki." Tony said, deep in thoughts.

„Don´t underestimate a determined woman. Trust me, I know what I´m talking about." Hawkeye murmured, not really aware this was a good idea.

„Then Loki found out about the book. I didn´t know he knew where I hid it, but when I came to my bedroom, I found out a bunch of snakes there. I hate snakes… they´re disgusting and slippery and… terrible." Thor shoke himself. „With the book, he found Sweetie as well."

„As I know Loki he avenged it." Natasha said without any real interest.

„Of course. Next few weeks I had really many problems. Because he´s a wizard, he didn´t let me sleep, breathe or eat without fear. It really wasn´t as funny as it seemed in the beginning. If I regret something, it was this birthday present. I should have given him something old-fashioned like books or socks because he really can´t appreciate intelligent fun."

„You´re really insane, aren´t you?" Steve hissed. „You don´t regret it because you spoilt your brother´s birthday – what he had been looking forward to as you knew very well. You regret it because he didn´t want to let it be." He shoke his head.

„Of course. I don´t really care about Loki´s depressions."

„That´s the reason why we have to stand Clint´s drooling, Steve´s annoying bursts of coinscience and Natasha´s periods." Tony rolled his eyes and went to the fridge to get another bottle of drink. Now he chose gin even though he knew he would feel terrible next morning.

„I´m pleased you didn´t find anything terrible on me." Bruce chuckled.

„You´re welcome," Tony smirked.

„This is insane and useless conversation. I don´t really want to listen to Thor´s childish stories. It makes me sick. Nat, would you mind if you…uhm… walked me home?" Clint stood up even though he wasn´t completely sure he was able to walk.

„I don´t think it´s Thor´s story what makes you feel sick but okay. I´ll walk you home, what if somebody wanted to do something bad to you, right?" Natasha stood up as well and let Clint embrace her. She turned and gave Tony and Thor a murderous glance. They stopped grinning and pretended they weren´t there.

„I think I´ll have to…ventilate my emotions. We shall see tomorrow. Bye," Steve murmured and left. Tony and Bruce exchanged a look and they knew they had to get rid of Thor because they both had an idea and didn´t really want the God of thunder to disturb them.

„Hey, buddy, what about some apologize to Loki? It might spare us some problems in the future." Stark embarced Thor´s broad shoulders and led him on the balcony. „You see this beautiful twilight? Made for reconciliation of two brothers and therefore avoiding problems."

„What do you want, Stark?" Thor frowned because he could feel some mischief behind Tony´s words.

„I want you to get off if you need to know it." Tony admitted and looked right into the latter´s eyes.

„You could have told it at the beginning. Enjoy yourselves," Thor disappeared in grey clouds on the sky. Tony closed the door and smiled with delight. He took another glass and sat opposite Bruce.

„This was insane. I´m glad they´re all away," Stark sighed.

„Just like I am." Bruce nodded. „Honestly, I think Clint should tell Natasha he´s obssesed with her."

„That´s bloody true." Tony agreed. „Anyway, this was good for one thing."

„You mean that we finally know how obssesed he is with her? That´s not new."

„I didn´t mean this. And at least we know the woman from his teenage wet dreams was the same one he now loves. And of course everybody except him knows that." They smiled a bit. „But no, go on."

„So you probably mean the fact that we now understand why Loki acts like this. To be honest, I wouldn´t be that nice if I were him."

„I would have already destroyed many other worlds. But I didn´t even mean this."

„Then it must be the sad thing none of you was really attending high school." Bruce knew what Tony was talking about but they both enjoyed this game.

„That´s a good and interesting point, but no, that´s not the right answer."

„So it must be finding out that Steve is insane enough to face Thor when he´s angry. Unarmed. I tell you, that man is not normal."

„I know that very well. He´s so righteous I sometimes fear he would pay a fee in a library even if he didn´t come late with the books. You know, just for bothering the staff there." Tony bowed his head and as if to confirm his worry, he drank all what was in the glass within one sip. „I´m really worried about him. People would find out how good and naive he is and eventually hurt him."

„Then we have to protect him. I suppose he was a fool even in his age – and now he´s completely lost. So I guessed right?"

„No, actually you didn´t."

„What a pity. Then you must think the information that Thor is obviously afraid of snakes is important." Bruce couldn´t think of anything else so he finally revealed the truth.

„Yeah, that´s exactly what I meant. Do you know how well we can use it?" Tony´s eyes shone at the thought of the pranks he can use this for.

„I´m not sure it´s fair. You know he´s afraid of that and it´s not very friendly…" Bruce hesitated.

„C´mon, we´re talking about Thor, bloody hell. The man who stole his brother´s plushy lizard. That arrogant guy. You don´t really mean what you´ve said."

„If I didn´t know you don´t have a brother I´d think you were talking about yourself." Bruce´s face lightened up with sparklets in eyes.

„Very funny. Unfortunately you´re the only one who makes good jokes. Anyway. I hope you´ve overcome that attack of pity for Thor." Tony stood up.

„I´ll go and fetch some book about snakes." Bruce smiled as they shook their hands in the sight of a new project to be implemented.


End file.
